THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. I just had a briefing by my national
security team on the latest updates -- on the latest developments in
Georgia. And there is some progress to report.

First of all, I want to thank Secretary of State Rice for her trip,
and thank you for coming back here to Crawford to give me a firsthand
briefing.

She went to Tbilisi, met with President Saakashvili and his team.
And during that time, the President signed the six-point peace plan
negotiated by President Sarkozy on behalf of the European Union.
President Medvedev of Russia has now signed on to the terms of this
agreement. And that's an important development; it's a hopeful step.

Now Russia needs to honor the agreement and withdraw its forces,
and of course end military operations.

Secretary Rice will soon travel to Brussels, where she will meet
with the foreign ministers of our NATO allies and EU officials to
continue to rally the free world in the defense of a free Georgia.

This morning also was briefed by Secretary Gates on the U.S.
military's humanitarian mission to help the Georgian people recover from
the trauma they have suffered. In recent days, military flights have
landed in Georgia to provide relief supplies, and more will be arriving
in the days ahead.

A major issue is Russia's contention that the regions of South
Ossetia and Abkhazia may not be a part of Georgia's future. But these
regions are a part of Georgia, and the international community has
repeatedly made clear that they will remain so. Georgia is a member of
the United Nations, and South Ossetia and Abkhazia lie within its
internationally recognized borders. Georgia's borders should command
the same respect as every other nation's.

There's no room for debate on this matter. The United Nations
Security Council has adopted numerous resolutions concerning Georgia.
These resolutions are based on the premise that South Ossetia and
Abkhazia remain within the borders of Georgia and that their underlying
conflicts will be resolved through international negotiations. These
resolutions are based on the premise that South Ossetia and Abkhazia are
to be considered a part of the Georgian territory, and to the extent
there's conflicts they will be resolved peacefully.

These resolutions reaffirm Georgia's sovereignty and independence
and territorial integrity. Russia itself has endorsed these
resolutions. The international community is clear that South Ossetia
and Abkhazia are part of Georgia, and the United States fully recognizes
this reality.

We will continue to stand behind Georgia's democracy; we will
continue to insist that Georgia's sovereignty and independence and
territorial integrity be respected.